Westmoreland Asays

You never know what tricks Eddie has up his sleeve--that is, when he is wearing a shirt.Often he doesn't. And though it feels unusually warm for this time of year (high 50's), it's not that warm. But when you perform like Ed, you've got to dress to keep your body cool. The video should show what I'm talking about. On a completely unrelated note, Meg asked Edward if he'd been good this year. He replied, "Yeah, when I was asleep."

You're so vain You probably think this song is about you You're so vain I'll bet you think this song is about you Don't you? Don't you? Carly Simon Meg claims she didn't think the poster-sized picture of our family would be that big, so you can imagine her surprise upon opening the package. It's a fun talking piece whenever someone comes to visit. Most people won't say anything about it unless you ask them--then they see it is okay and remark how big it is.

Hi i am Aaron. My mom is a asking me questions for my 7 year old  life. It is sometimes painful  and sometimes it is not.

At a week shy of turning 8 months, Ian became mobile. He'd been flirting with crawling for a few weeks--he'd get into position on his hands and knees and rock back and forth--but at last he moved forward. When I asked him what the motivating factor was, he replied that being able to put anything in his mouth--especially cords for electronic devices--got him over the edge.

Aaron and I went to the Blazer's game tonight--a yearly tradition, thanks in part to the Trailblazers donating tickets to kids who complete their library's summer reading program. Edward also earned a ticket to the game, be he decided that he didn't want to go (I sold his ticket to a scalper); Meg reported that he cried about not getting to go, but we try very hard to teach the boys to "take the opportunity when it is there," so I didn't feel bad since we gave him plenty of chances to go. Aaron paid close attention to the game, recognized his favorite players, and cheered at all the appropriate times. He also enjoyed a bag of cotton candy which, at my encouragement, he slowly ate throughout the game. When the game was winding down, Aaron handed me the nearly-empty bag and said, "Uhh, I think I ate too much cotton candy. I feel sick." Fortunately, his body didn't react violently to his over-indulgence; however, he was overly alert on the ride ba...

I sometimes combine my walking workout with a trip to the Portland Central Library, where I check out books for the boys to read. As I was exiting the children's section I noticed a DVD-- The Little Travelers Japan --that I thought the boys would like (and, frankly, me too). We watched the hour-long show that night together for the first time, but since then Eddie has watched it at least 20 more times. He reports that his favorite part is when the pre-school kids take off their pants and take naps in their underwear. The show has clearly influenced him, including the desire to eat sushi, which we recently brought home some sushi to celebrate my 15-year anniversary of landing in Japan for the first time; he took a bite of some with smoked salmon, but unfortunately spit it out. But I admire his bravery for trying some so new and different. Meg also reports that Edward once told her this when he was upset with her: "Mom, I'm mad at you. I'm not going to take you with me t...

I'm probably jinxing myself for writing this, but here goes. Beginning last Sunday evening, everyone in my family became sick. Aaron volunteered first with coughing and a fever; he recovered quickly and passed the baton to Edward, who then gave it to Ian, and finally Meg succumbed to the inevitable. The boys are feeling good now and appear to have mostly recovered, while Meg's battle continues. I, however, have avoided the family illness. Why have I been so fortunate? Was it . . . A . My family contracted a version of the flu that my innoculation a few weeks ago is protecting me from getting. B . I am like that guy Bruce Willis portrays in Unbreakable . C . I consistently lead such a healthy life that nothing can attack my immune system. D . Like Mr. Burns , I have "Three Stooges Syndrome"--I have a little bit of everything, which causes everything to cancel one another out, and which provides me with a blissful homeostasis. E . I just wasn't home enough ...

Several people came up to me today and commented on how much they enjoyed Edward in our ward's primary program (where the kids ages 4-11 take over and present for the entire sacrament meeting, which includes each child delivering a small speaking part). Eddie had memorized his short, one-liner, and said he would deliver it by himself--Meg had prepped him well over the last few weeks. But this isn't why people were impressed with Eddie. Let's back up to see how we came to this situation. Eddie was on the floor at church when Ian puked on him--it wasn't normal spit-up, unfortunately, and probably caused by the grilled salmon sushi from Vista Market that Meg ate with me the night before to celebrate my 15-year anniversary of arriving in Japan for the first time. Eddie was understandably upset at having to wear a nasty shirt, so Meg raced home to bring him a new, clean one. She made it back just as the kids were moving forward to take their seats at the front of the cha...

We had a whole week of gorgeous weather (for October), so Meg organized a weekend yurt-camping trip with our friends the Watkins . Our destination was Tugman State Park , a few miles south of Reedsport (about two hours north of where I took the boys in August ). I took Friday afternoon off so we left right after eating lunch. The boys behaved quietly in the back seat while I entertained Meg the driver with all of my witty and insightful conversation. We had a few hours to burn before the Watkins arrived, so I took the older boys hiking around Eel Lake , which of course included a compulsory stop along the shore to throw rocks into the water. After the Watkins arrived, we fixed dinner/dessert, hung out around the campfire, and talked until about midnight (the kids went to bed several hours earlier. Brent W. took the kids fishing late Saturday morning and actually reeled in a 12" trout--a fish he really didn't want to catch, and which he tried to release (but the poor fish...

Ian has reached six months old. Here are a few observations about the boy: Weighs 19.2 pounds (with diaper) Sits on his own for long periods Prefers to lie on his stomach Likes to spin around on his belly Can roll and spin to move to where he wants Sticks everything nearby into his mouth Eats baby food twice a day Has 1.5 teeth and isn't afraid to bite Doesn't like it when Eddie smothers him (happens multiple times every day) Doesn't like long rides in the car

Over the last two months since retiring from daily running , I've tried working out on an elliptical, riding a stationary bike, running barefoot, and walking. My office has a small workout room with the former two machines, and while I tolerate (and sweat like a pig) riding the bike, I didn't like "riding" the elliptical at all--it even made my knees hurt. As for running barefoot, maybe I didn't give it enough time, but my feet never got used to the punishment, and I really didn't look forward to those once-a-week workouts. So the experiment is over. I think I'll ride the stationary bike once a week while racewalking the streets of SW/SE/NW Portland the other days (I was able to reach NE when running, but it's just too far for a walk). What I missed most about running was experiencing the city--the buildings, the cars, the people, the smells. So I'm able to retain the best part while still getting in a brisk workout. I admit that racewalking felt q...

Instead of writing something that I think appropriate, I'm going to give you what you want for once: I'll ask the questions that you are too scared or embarrassed to ask. Then I'll provide the answers. If I somehow failed to ask/answer YOUR question, please write a comment and I'll provide a prompt answer. Oh, I should say that this is about my experience taking pictures during Hood to Coast 2009 on Legs 5 and 34. 6. How many times were you the butt of a joke from an HTC competitor? Quite a few times, but it was always for the same thing: it STANK at my location on Saturday , because a farmer was spraying liquid cow manure all over his field. Do I need to explain what the joke was? 5. Hood to Coast, from the perspective of a spectator, is pretty dang boring. With runners passing by on average every 45 seconds, how on earth do you pass the time? I have nearly 9,000 songs on my Zune120 and brought the two latest issues of The New Yorker with me. And thanks to Meg'...

I took Aaron and Eddie car-camping to Humbug Mountain State Park for three days and two nights. We came home a day early because the boys both wanted to (and partially because I thought I was going to get the third night free, but I didn't read the fine print: the free day can't be Friday or Saturday). My goal is to ease them into outdoor adventures so when they are older they will want to go on long trips in the middle of nowhere (my preference over car-camping). Meg took Ian up to Seattle to stay with her friend Susan; maybe she'll write about her adventures here sometime. We left around 12:30 on Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before the 100-degrees settled in. It took about 4.25 hours to drive to the state park on the southern Oregon coast (the farthest south on the coast I've been). The boys behaved for most of the drive down--Aaron read from some books and played his GameBoy, while Eddie slept and was otherwise quiet--even though they had to sit together in the...

Ian's a mama's boy, so he usually isn't separated from Meg for more than a few hours. As such, he got to accompany Meg and I on our day to commemorate nine years of marriage together. This limited our possibilities, but we had fun at Northern Lights (Star Trek), Olive Garden, the Lancaster Mall Theater (G.I. Joe), and Sonic (frozen treats). Ian fussed only once during the final movie; he is very well-behaved when out-and-about. I think we all had a great time, but I was surprised at how fast the time flew--we were gone for nearly eight hours, but it seemed like only two or three.

Ian is four-months old today. It's also Happy Hiroshima day. Here's what Ian is like these days: Weighs 17..6 lb.s (with clothes) Rolled over once back to tummy and once from tummy to back Was sick for the first time (with Dad) with a fever Likes to look at himself in the mirror for long intervals Likes to go on long walks in the stroller Likes to go swimming in the pool Likes to sleep in his own bed through the night

I retired from competitive running after acting as a mercenary for an out-of-town team at Hood-to-Coast 2006 . I accepted that age was stymieing my physical abilities and thought it best to go out on my own terms. So for the past four years, I have regularly run 40 minutes a day, four or five times a week. I've run in the occasional easy fun-run, but nothing serious. And I did all of this training with a laid-back attitude, never really pushing it for extended period. But it didn't seem to matter. A few weeks ago, my left knee started hurting for no apparent reason. It hurt all the time, not just during or right after running. Outside of injuring my hip flexor in college (right after I returned from two years of "hard exercise deprivation" in Japan), I've enjoyed an active, injury-free lifestyle, and have been able to do pretty much whatever I wanted. Not any more. After trying to figure out where the pain resonated, and then researching the Internet, I concluded ...

WARNING: The following language might offend the technically-challenged, fiscally-unconservative, and people who think I am a snob and write entries that are waaay to long; proceed at your own risk. I sincerely believed I would be the last man on the planet to own a cell phone. There's nothing inherently evil about cell phones; I just could not justify owning one because 95% of my time is spent near a landline or my mistress's cell phone, and there is no way I could find value in paying a monthly fee for something I wouldn't use that much. I follow a pretty routine schedule every day of the week, so the people that need to find me can find me. But then I thought there are going to be a number of days in August where I will be away from my calling safety net--I truly would be inaccessible. Perhaps it was time to concede. I first thought about getting a simple, cheap phone that I could use on a prepaid basis. But the tipping point in my decision was that at work we have begu...

Every two years, Meg's family--34 people now--meets in Oregon for a reunion. I don't have many pictures or videos yet, so check back later to see what might be new. July 15, Wednesday We arrived in Sherwood around noon, just in time to see the bounce house, super slide, and jousting arena being blown up. They also set up a slip-and-slide on the side of the house, which Aaron and Eddie both enjoyed. Near the end of the day, some of the older "boys" (myself included) began doing flips and somersaults down the slide. No one went over the side of the slide, but John and Paul both came pretty close; I just experienced lots of wedgies. After dinner, many of headed across the street to Sunset Park (best city park ever?) to play kickball and soccer. Aaron tagged along with me and enjoyed both games, and Nichole was kind to bring and watch Eddie, although he spilled his little box of Nerds and wouldn't calm down until he led me to the spill site, where I helped him pick u...

The summer cross country season is approaching, so I thought that I should start including some speed workouts into my training. I run my speed workouts at Duniway Track , about a minute from my office, but I like to run through the Lair Hill Neighborhood first as a warm-up. Since I haven't run fast in about a year, I took it relatively easy, running 1-mile (6:00), 800 meters (2:57), and 2x400 meters (1:27, 1:26)--walking and slowly running 400 meters between each interval--but still finishing tired. As I was running, I noticed a guy stretching out on the track in a most unusual manner--he was able to contort his body in ways I didn't think possible. Eventually I caught a glimpse of his face, and I recognized him: Galen Rupp . And it wasn't long before I realized I should be looking for his coach, and sure enough, he was there too: Alberto Salazar . I'm not sure why they left the happy confines of the Nike campus (where I often ran when I lived in Beaverton), but it wa...

I had Friday off from work, so I took Aaron and Edward on a hike around Silver Falls State Park (25 miles and 35 minutes away from our house); Meg declined in favor of staying home with Ian and away from the 90-degree heat. Hiking on Independence Day (or any part of the time I have away from my job) is a long-standing tradition--one which I have been doing every year since 1999 ( see here for the chronology ). We arrived at the park around 9:30 a.m. before the crowds had arrived--and more importantly, before the shade-covered parking spots were taken. We set out intent on hiking the entire 7-mile loop around the park. Meg had commented before we left that I was setting my expectations too high for the kids, and I probably did, but at the same time I wanted to challenge the boys to do more than they ever had before. The hike went pretty smoothly, although Edward fell a couple of times, scraping his knee and covering his legs in mud--but we were hiking along Silver Creek, so I dipped him...

About the time Ian was born, the G20 started performing lousy. The idle was rough, and I had hardly any power (i.e., going up hills was very challenging--I'd floor the gas pedal, but the car wouldn't respond and would even slow down). It had acted the same while I was storing it for the year before we gave up the Corolla, but it magically started running better after I started driving it regularly. But after six or seven months it started acting up again. I had my friend Greg help me give the G-car a tune-up (new spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, and fuel filter), but that didn't help (although the car needed these things anyway). I had a hunch I needed new fuel injectors. And with the help of some buddies on G20.net, I was able to get some injectors out of a low-mileage Japanese engine for cheap and had help installing them in my engine. When I cranked the engine for the first time, I immediately knew we had solved the problem: it idled smoothly at the correct RPMs...

It was the last day of the month. I was out of ideas for a new route to run at lunch time (I do not like to repeat a route during the month), so I decided to run my route along the Willamette Trail and John's Landing backwards; you might be amazed at how different a route feels when you do it backwards. Anyway, as I was turning the corner in the South Waterfront district, a 1960's convertible came into view just as it was pulling out of one of the tower's parking garages, and I immediately knew who it was: Channing Frye. Sure, he isn't the most popular Trailblazer (at least among casual fans), but he possess by far the best personality on the team. So I gave him a shout-out as we passed, and likewise he to me. This is the closest thing to encountering a Blazer that I've ever had, although I was shooting a race last spring in Lake Oswego where I saw Steve Blake and took pictures of his wife at the finish line. But again you're thinking, Who the heck is Steve Blak...

We don't watch much tv at our house; Meg watches some shows while she feeds the beast, I watch an NBA or college football game here and there, and the boys watch a handful of shows on Qubo and PBS Kids. We're more likely to be playing games, watching a movie, or having fun outside. But Aaron and Edward recently got a taste of America's Funniest Videos, and they now look forward to watching it. The video here demonstrates this enjoyment, but it also shows that Eddie doesn't just cringe-and-cry for the camera. Meg also reminded me that at church today Edward shoved four pretzels (not the stick kind--the kind out of the huge Costco bag) into his mouth at the same time. She gently reprimanded him and told him it wasn't funny, but then quickly turned the other direction and tried very hard not to laugh out loud.

From Little North Fork Hike Some of you may have forgotten that I have a third son because I write little--if anything--about him. Well, like Brittney said, Why don't ya do something? Today Ian slept more in one stretch than did I (i.e., he went to bed before me, and woke up after me): he went to bed around 9:30 p.m., and he didn't wake up until about 5:00 a.m.--and he did this all in his own bed. He usually wakes up around 3 or 4--but just once. Aaron was an absolute terrible sleeper as a baby (and even as a toddler--see here , here , and here ), so I'm glad he came first--it has made the latter boys so much easier to manage. Random Observations of the Moment: Ian weighs 15.6 pounds (with clothes). Ian will occasionally smile back at you if he thinks your face is goofy-looking enough. Ian likes to be held--a lot. Ian enjoys his nightly bath. Ian does not like watching the Lakers play basketball--except when they are losing to the Blazers.

About a month ago I bought a 1999 Redline Petty Cash bike in Portland from craigslist. I kept it at work for a few weeks before a co-worker kindly brought it and myself home from the office one day, and then I kept it hidden in our garage for a few more weeks. The point was to surprise Aaron on his last day of school (today)--to give him something that he could enjoy throughout his first summer vacation. He's outgrown his 16" bike, so it was time for an upgrade anyway. After he left for school, I spent my lunch hour putting on some touch-up paint and positioned the bike so he would easily spot it upon arriving home from school. I was surprised at his reaction; maybe because it wasn't new and blue made it somewhat disappointing. But I think he doesn't care any more and is hopeful to grow a few more inches soon, because the bike is a little too big for him now, and that makes it difficult for him to start and stop.

I took Aaron and Edward to watch McNary vs. Roseburg in the Oregon State baseball championship game at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, less than a mile from where I grew up (the stadium wasn't there until after I moved away from home, of course). At the game I saw many old friends (Larry Stewart, Tim Curry), former teammates (Boomer, Lance Guenther), and of course Mr. Backlund. Aaron was pretty good about following the game, but Edward didn't seem to care either way, once he had eaten his candy. I was glad I went, especially because I was able to see McNary win the state championship again. McNary captures the Class 6A baseball crown

Aaron was "promoted" from kindergarten to the first grade today. Click To Play

For all that associate with me on a regular basis, I know this topic is on your minds. But just like when I had Meg dye my hair blond several years ago, most people are reluctant to challenge me on what the heck I'm doing (I think most people are afraid that I'll go WWF on them ). It's the coffee folks--lots and lots of coffee. No, I haven't started drinking the stuff; rather, I thought I would divert the used grounds from the garbage at work and put them in my garden instead. Meg even brought home a huge garbage bag full of them when she stopped by Safeway at the in-store Starbucks; most places will give them to you for free, if you ask. I began spreading them throughout my garden this week, hoping that they will act as a natural fertilizer for our various perennials and vegetables. I expect the plants and worms will enjoy the new treat, but I will have to wait and see what happens. Brigham Young of all persons partly inspired me with the idea re-using the coffee grou...

Click To Play I rode my bike to Minto Island Park, meeting the rest of family after they drove over. Aaron brought his bike, and while the two of us rode around the park, Meg, Ian, and Edward spent time at the playground and walking around near the Willamette. I then rode home.

From Little North Fork Hike Aaron and Eddie have both accompanied me on hikes along the Little North Fork of the Santiam (see 2007 and 2008 ), but Meg and I couldn't figure out if she had ever been before. But it was definitely Ian's first visit. We left the house late in the afternoon, and when you are with Ian-the-Ravenous, it's hard to accomplish much. So we made it to the "beach," a nice rocky shore along the river that provides ample amounts of sun and shade (depending on your fancy)--but, most importantly, oodles of rocks for throwing into the river. The older boys both ventured into the shallows of the river, and both fell in and got their pants/shorts soaked. Edward was wearing green sweat pants and a green sweatshirt (I encouraged his several times during the day to wear shorts and a t-shirt). But they didn't seem to care and kept playing in the shallows. But since we didn't hike very far, it didn't take long to hike back to the car (and the s...

From Schreiner's Iris Gardens 2009 Tonight we paid our usual, annual visit to Schreiner's Iris Gardens, where I spent every waking hour of eight summers working. The weather was nice until the wind started blowing hard. We brought take-out from Keizer Station, but it wasn't much fun trying to eat in the wind--plus Ian was hungry (when isn't he?). I thought we might be the only ones there, but we had to share the display gardens with the Goesch's (long-time friends from church in Keizer). On the ride home, Edward stated that he wants to do three things when he grows up: be a dad, a farmer, and a mom. Fortunately with gentle persuasion he was open to the idea of being a husband instead of a mom.

From Fishermen's Bend I took the two older boys on a camping trip to Fishermen's Bend, a large campground along the North Santiam River (which I believe is the fateful place where my dad crashed our drift boat when I was about six or seven years old), for an activity with our church. We did the same thing last year --and upon reading last year's entry, this year felt very similar, except I didn't have to change any diapers this time (thanks Eddie!). The weather was near-perfect (low-to-mid 70's and clear skies); I don't know if I'd attend if it was raining. I spent a lot of time talking with my friend Cary Takara who, upon seeing me and the boys eating rice that we had brought with us for dinner, commented "You are more Japanese than me." I tried conversing in Japanese with Cary's youngest son, but he laughed uncontrollably at the idea that a gaijin was speaking some pretty good Japanese (Cary and his wife are both 100% Japanese). Their kids a...

From Aaron's Writing Award Although Aaron doesn't remember when or why he was asked to write the story "Snow Hiking," tonight he received an award for writing it. Each elementary school in the S-K District selected one student from each grade to receive this award; Aaron represented the kindergarten from Lee. He and I attended the awards ceremony tonight, where the guest of honor was writer Eric Kimmel (a writer of childrens books and a resident of Portland). Mr. Kimmel gave a delightful reading of his story, " The Three Cabritos ." And he didn't just read his story straight-through; he paused every few pages to relate the history of how he chose the characters, the setting, the plot, and to share various techniques for writing and living a good life. I found the reading fun and educational, but I was surprised that Aaron came away with specific ideas to improve his own writing (e.g., to think about how your own experiences could translate into an inter...

Nearly three years ago I began my first attempt at teaching Aaron how to ride his bike . While only three years old, he demonstrated good balance and had a mild desire to learn. That attempt failed, however, and I think his interest completely fizzled out. He hasn't mentioned any desire to ride a bike since. Fast forward to the present, and a couple of things helped rekindle his interest. First, packs of similarly-aged kids would congregate on our front porch and ask for Aaron to come out and join their bike riding posse (somewhat akin to this Simpsons clip ). While he couldn't ride like them, he still enjoyed the camaraderie while riding his scooter, even though he was always bringing up the rear. Second, we read a book ( Yikes! Bikes! ) that talked about learning to ride a bike because the narrator was embarrassed for not being able to. Fast Forward to last Friday, and I challenged Aaron to let me give him lessons for riding (I fail to remember my motivation for challenging h...

I spent much of Saturday afternoon outside enjoying the rare sunshine and working in the yard (much to the displeasure of my allergies--I've never experienced anything this severe in my entire life). While uprooting some of the millions of weeds, Edward and Aaron joined me wanting to help. After realizing he wasn't going to make any money without a little effort, Aaron left. But Edward stuck around. He likes to weed. Sometimes he will go in the backyard all by himself and pull weeds. He also turns over the flagstones in our path, which frustrates me, but I think he does these things mainly to look for worms. So every time I announced that I had found a worm, Edward would run over, take it in his bare hands, examine it for a while, declare "he's so cute," and then gently transport it to one of the raised garden beds--the ultimate reward for a worm in our yard.

(You can follow the progression of Meg's 15-day ordeal here ) Meg and I welcomed Ian Douglas Asay to Planet Earth on April 6, 2009, at 10:53 p.m. He weighed 8 lb. 9 oz. and measured 20.5 in. long. He cried a little when he first came out, but since he's been pretty quiet and content to just look around and snuggle with his family (mostly Meg). By about midnight we had moved from the labor and delivery room to the recovery room. I then accompanied Ian to the nursery for some testing and administration of his Hepatitis B shot; he only cried after the nurse pulled the needle from his leg. I then took a 4-hour nap on the day bed in the recovery room, although I was frequently awoken with the seemingly endless visits of nurses to check on Meg and Ian. I drove home to meet my kids, who were being supervised by Meg's mom after she finished coaching Meg during labor (Meg's dad watched them just before that, after they spent much of the day at a friend's house). The boys and...

Monday, April 6 10:55 p.m .: Ian's here. 8 lb. 9 oz., 20". He and Meg are fine and on speaking terms after this terrible labor. 10:00 p.m .: Meg is now 7 or 8 cm dilated. Contractions are right on top of each other. And she's screaming out in pain during every one. 8:45 p.m .: Meg is now 5 or 6 cm dilated. All is still going well. 6:45 p.m .: The doctor broke her water; everything looked good, so we hope this will speed up the contractions. 6:30 p.m .: Meg has her epidural in. She is in labor but still 4 cm dilated. This will probably take all night and possibly into the early morning. 2:30 p.m .: The doctor declared Meg to be 4 cm dilated and in labor, so we've now checked into a labor/delivery room with a nice view of Mill Creek and the Capitol. You wouldn't believe the relief on Meg's face when she received this good news. 11:45 a.m .: We're at the hospital again, hoping and praying with fervor that the third time is the charm. 7:00 a.m .: We enjoyed ...

Apparently vanpoolers are a highly-sought after demographic. I've been vanpooling for nearly three years now, and I've won oodles of prizes for filling out surveys and other related activities for organizations that promote alternative transportation methods. Free gas, gift cards to Burgerville and McMennamins, and just this week a $50 giftcard to Powell's. Usually they just mail me my prize, but this time the awarding party wanted to present it to me in person at my office. So I scheduled to meet the fellow at noon. It turns out that he wanted to visit in-person so he could take a picture for his blog entry --best picture ever.

Aaron's ability to read has increased exponentially this school year, and he doesn't mind sharing this talent with Edward. The boys are still feeling the effects of DST, so they weren't ready for bed at the usual time. Initially, Aaron asked if he could read silently in bed; but I guess it progressed to reading several books with Eddie on his makeshift "picnic bed." Ed hasn't slept much in his own bed lately; he often sneaks in with Aaron on the lower bunk, often sleeping in the most unusual positions (like at the foot of the bed, with his feet hanging over the edge, nearly touching the floor--this kid can sleep in almost any circumstance when he's tired). He's also been falling asleep in the car during the middle of the day when Meg or I take him with us to run an errand--maybe he's entering a growth spurt, or perhaps he is wise beyond his years and knows that the household's sleep patterns might change with the new addition in April, so he...

My muse has disappeared for all things new and exciting, so to keep my site fresh, I'm swimming backwards in time to write about experiences that left lasting memories in my brain. I welcome any insight or other related memories that you could add to my stories, since years and decades have passed since most of these events transpired, and I might be coloring a very different picture than how you remember it. So please don't hesitate to comment. During a little league baseball game when I was about 11 years old, the home plate umpire ejected me for arguing a called third-strike. I was passionate about baseball, and I had quite the temper. I still remember the rage I felt for being dealt with so unjustly,and seeing my mom rush down from the stands to escort me off the field. The anger and shame took some time to go away, and it wasn't until my Dad fished me out of the van (I was holed up crying somewhere, I think) that I finally calmed down. I feared that he was going to kil...

Having a birthday so close to Valentine's Day makes for lots of action. Sometimes the line between the two gets blurry, and who knows which one we're celebrating. Meg ordered a new oven and over-the-range microwave for our Valentine's Day gifts. They arrived Friday morning (the 13th), and I helped Meg install the microwave on my lunch break (I heaved and hoisted and held the microwave in place while Meg installed it). After work that evening, we tried to install the gas oven, but we had trouble getting the piping installed without the gas leaking. We were going to a party that night at a general contractor's house, so we agreed to hold off and ask the expert what we could do differently. So that night we celebrated my birthday early by going out to Newport Bay. Since Meg doesn't care for many varieties of fish, I always try and order fish whenever we go out, since it is one of my favorites (thank you Japan for educating me properly). We then went to the party; I pla...